


Phases

by Holmejen



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Protective Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:54:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25572406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Holmejen/pseuds/Holmejen
Summary: The kidnapping of joe and Nicky, as told by Joes POV.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Kudos: 82





	1. Chapter 1

Joe sat on the couch watching the football with booker by his side, the crowd within the tv roared, but his mind was stuck on what had just happened. 

He had felt Nicky jump from his grasp before he heard Niles terrified screams. Abruptly pulled from sleep and his head still foggy, he slowly followed Nicky into a sitting position against their bed, to ask Nile what had provoked such fear. Her response was both confronting and terrifying for Joe.

“She was drowning over and over again”, Nile had gasped out still breathing frantically as though she herself had just drowned. “She feels like she is crazy”. The object of Nile’s nightmare was one of Joe’s oldest friends but also a source of great discomfort for him. She had been lost for 500 years, drowning again and again under the ocean, his hand moved before he realised what he was doing and grasped around nicky’s hand. A gentle touch to ground joe, and a reminded that he is in fact still here, still with him.

As Andy emerged from the shadows, upon hearing Quynh’s name, Joe was once again reminded of her strength. He would not have been as strong. He knew, if it were him, and Nicky was taken away from him, he would have drained every ocean until his love was back in his arms.

After Nile and Andy went to further talk outside about what Nile has seen, Booker got up soon after saying that he needed a drink. It left Joe and Nicky alone in the room, hands still entwined as a gentle reminder, and a promise.

“Joe”, Nicky whispered softly, eyes downcast as he continued, “I am ashamed”. Joe turned to face him, confused at his outburst. “Why Habibi?” Nicky’s eyes could not meet Joe’s as he responded, “because I am selfish. My friend, who I love and miss, has been suffering at the bottom of the ocean for half a millenia and although I miss her, I also think how lucky I am that it is her their, alone and suffering and not you. I am selfish because I am too worried about my own happiness instead of my friends safety, how I would not of been as strong as Andy, I could not have continued without you by my side”. With that, the water in Nicky’s eyes fell and Joe reached over to wipe them away. “My love, you are the furthest thing from selfish I have met in my 1000 years walking this earth. I miss her too, but you never have to worry about losing me, we entered together and we shall leave together, that is why we are here, that is are purpose”. Nicky’s hand grasped tighter around joes as his eyes finally meet Joes. The pain and guilt were written all over his face, Joe reached out and touched Nicky’s check and brought their foreheads together. “Sono qui. Sono qui. I am not going anywhere my love”.

They shortly followed Booker out into the living room where he was nursing a drink in his hand and the tv softly buzzing in front of him. Nicky sat at the table saying he needed some time to collect his thoughts and read through the paper. Joe sat on the other seat next to Booker and he tried to focus on the game in front of him, his eyes always glancing at Nicky slumped over the table. 

He didn’t hear them. The men who came.

It was all too sudden for Joe to even react. The door flung open and in came a canister straight in front of Bookers feet. Before the three men could react the canister started rapidly beating as it prepared to detonate. Joe looked up to see Nicky on the other side of the room, too far away to reach each other. Their eyes meet, exchanging looks of confusion and panic as the beeping got faster. 

Booker let out a sigh, knowing what came next, as Nicky screamed for Joe across the room. Joe looked at his love one last time and was started to yell back to reassure him but all he could say was, “Ni”, before the blast erupted and everything went black.


	2. The Van

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe and Nicky wake up inside the van after the explosion

He was woken up with a violent thump as the floor moved beneath him. The sound of an engine buzzed in his ear as he was slowly waking up and regaining his senses. He blinked his eyes open as he took in his surroundings. Armoured guards dressed in black were watching him vigilantly as he pulled himself into a sitting position. He tried to touch the back of his head, as he was still suffering from the effects of the gas explosion. However he suddenly realised that his hands were tightly bound by plastic cuffs. As the fog was leaving his head he looked down to see the restraints, but when he lowered his eyes, he saw him. 

Nicky lying by the feet of two of the guards. He wasn’t moving. Why wasn’t he moving? They both must of got hit by the explosion at the same time, but Joe had regained consciousness, why was Nicky just lying there. His heart immediately rose to his throat as he tried to ignore the nightmare that had haunted him for centuries. “Nicolo”, Joe cried. No, not today, please no. “Nicolo”, his voice getting louder and more fear creeped into his head. Wake up, wake up, wake up. “Quiet!”, a guard yelled at him. Ignoring him almost instantly joe yelled again, “Nicolo”!

His fingers slowly twitched, followed by his eyebrows drawing into a frown and Nicky slowly woke up, pain still etched on his face as the effects of the explosion. Joe felt his heart finally start to beat again as Nicky rose up in a sitting position, the guards mocking his earlier outburst. It did not matter, their childish insults meant nothing to him, all that mattered was the man sitting in front of joe was breathing again.

The made quick work of the guards. Guns and bullet proof vests aside, the had kidnapped two highly trained assassins, who, regardless of their tightly cuffed hands were no match. They sat next to each other as they gathered their breathe, and planned their next move. Nicky was huffing loudly which showed Joe that while he was alive and breathing, he was still not recovered from the earlier gas blast. Joe sat up on the bench and motioned for Nicky to rest his head against his leg while he regained his breathe. Nicky followed without hesitation as he felt his eyes struggling to stay open, still fighting the pain in his head from the bass explosion. 

After a few minutes of Nicky leaning against joe, his breathes became more regular, and while he was exhausted, he was ready to regroup and face the next issue, what were they going to do next. Joe examined Nicky’s bound wrists carefully noticing that they were bound so tightly that they were drawing blood. There was no getting them off while they were stuck inside the van. Joe got up and walked over to the door examining if there was any way out, but alas. The handle was in the other side, Joe looked back at Nicky with a shrug of his shoulders. There was nothing either of them could do while stuck in the van but wait, so joe sat back down near Nicky, stoking his hair as they waited for the vans engine get softer, before drawing to a complete haunt.

When the doors opened and the bodies of the dead guards fell out, Joe looked at the traitor who lied and set him and his friends up. As they were escorted to the plane, joe’s eyes were trained on Nicky’s back. Although he was outnumbered and unable to fight, Joe’s eyes never left Nicky’s back, a trait he had learnt all those years ago. No matter what he and his beloved were about to face, Joe would be right behind Nicky protecting him and making sure that he was ok.


End file.
